About us

Sisters Community Solar

New Orleans’ first community solar project.

Sisters Community Solar is a 20-acre solar project being built on land owned by the Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans East. When it begins operating in 2027, it will allow approximately 650 New Orleans households to save 10–20% on their monthly Entergy bills through solar credits—without installing solar panels on their homes.

The project is open to renters and homeowners across Orleans Parish, with no upfront cost or equipment required. Half of the project is reserved for low-income households, helping ensure that the benefits reach New Orleanians who face some of the highest energy burdens.

Sisters Community Solar grew out of a partnership between the Sisters of the Holy Family and Together New Orleans—and years of organizing to make community solar work for New Orleans.

How we got here

Community Solar didn't happen overnight.

New Orleanians have long faced some of the nation’s highest electricity cost burdens.

In 2018, the New Orleans City Council created a community solar program to help residents lower their electricity bills and benefit from clean energy without installing solar panels on their homes. But the original rules made it difficult to develop financially viable projects, and no community solar projects were built.

Together New Orleans believed the promise of community solar was too important to abandon.

Working alongside residents, member institutions, energy experts, City Council members, and other partners, TNO organized a multi-year campaign to improve the program. The coalition commissioned independent studies, convened stakeholders, testified at public meetings, and worked with policymakers to develop rules that could deliver meaningful savings for residents while making community solar projects financially viable.

Those efforts resulted in major rule changes adopted by the New Orleans City Council in 2023, helping clear the way for community solar projects to move forward.

Group of diverse people on stage celebrating, with one person in the foreground taking a picture, and a large screen behind them displaying a political event at Xavier University.
A diverse group of men and women standing and clapping in a church or auditorium, some holding papers or programs, with a piano visible to the right.

Sisters of the Holy Family

Sisters of the Holy Family, an African American congregation founded by Venerable Henriette Delille, have served New Orleans for generations through education, faith, and community service. Their mission is rooted in compassion, justice, and the empowerment of the poor and powerless.

By making their land available for Sisters Community Solar, the Sisters are carrying that mission into the future—using a resource they have stewarded for generations to help lower electricity bills, expand access to clean energy, and create lasting community benefit.

Sisters Community Solar is named in honor of their extraordinary legacy of faith and service to New Orleans.

Learn more about the Sisters of the Holy Family

A group of seven nuns and one elderly woman standing in front of a large religious painting. The nuns are wearing black habits with white collars, and the elderly woman is dressed in a light-colored outfit. They are indoors, posing for a photo and smiling.

Together New Orleans

Together New Orleans is a broad-based organization of religious congregations, unions, neighborhood associations, and other community institutions from across the greater New Orleans area, with a common mission to address issues facing our families.

TNO brings people together across race, faith, neighborhood, income, and political affiliation to build relationships, develop leaders, and act together on the issues shaping daily life in our city.

Community Solar is one example of that work. TNO  organized residents, brought together diverse partners, and worked with City Council and energy experts to help make Community Solar a reality in New Orleans.

Learn more about Together New Orleans

A large group of people gathered on the steps of a government building holding signs and raising their hands in protest. The signs include messages about jobs, public works, power outages, and rejecting surveillance cameras. There is a speaker at a podium with a microphone, and the background shows a glass building and a decorated entrance.

Community Benefits

More than clean energy. 

Together New Orleans worked to ensure that Sisters Community Solar delivers benefits that stay in our community.

Construction includes partnerships with local unions, including IBEW Local 130 and IUOE Local 406, to perform key portions of the work. These partnerships support good-paying jobs and apprenticeship opportunities, giving workers hands-on experience building solar infrastructure and developing skills for careers in Louisiana’s growing clean-energy economy.

A woman in a nun's habit and sunglasses claps as she stands among a group of young people wearing green shirts and orange safety vests at an outdoor press conference. An older man with gray hair and glasses is speaking into a microphone, while another man with gray hair and a blue suit listens. Several microphones from news outlets are in front of the podium. The group appears to celebrate or announce something positively, with a cloudy sky in the background.

Project Partners

  • Logo with a stylized yellow sun and blue spiral dots, and the text '127 ENERGY' in blue.

    127 Energy

    Developing and building Sisters Community Solar.

  • Seal or emblem of the International Union of Operating Engineers featuring a circular design with red and blue text and a gauge or meter in the center.

    IUOE Local 406

    Providing skilled equipment operators and supporting apprenticeship opportunities.

  • A graphic logo with a dark blue background, white and yellow text reading "Together New Orleans", bordered by a yellow outline.

    Together New Orleans

    A broad-based coalition that organized the community campaign to make Community Solar possible in New Orleans.

  • A commemorative emblem celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Sisters of the Holy Family, with a portrait of a woman in a black habit, a blue background, and gold decorative elements including a banner and laurel wreath.

    Sisters of the Holy Family

    Providing the land for Sisters Community Solar and extending their long legacy of service in New Orleans.

  • Logo of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers with a black background and yellow and white details.

    IBEW Local 130

    Performing key portions of the electrical construction work.

  • Illustration of a neighborhood with houses, trees, and taller buildings under a bright sun and clouds, with the text 'NEIGHBORHOOD SUN'.

    Neighborhood Sun

    Managing subscriber enrollment and ongoing subscriber support.

Group of diverse adults at an event, smiling and showing thumbs up.

Check your eligibility and request a subscription.

Request a subscription